Susan Bender.
The American Composers Orchestra, based in New York City, has appointed Susan Bender as director of development. She will oversee ACO’s development strategy, guiding fundraising efforts and growing support for programs, performances, and national composer advancement initiatives. She was the founding executive vice president of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and also worked to support institutions including the Mendelssohn Foundation with Kurt Masur, the Salzburg Easter Festival with Claudio Abbado and Sir Simon Rattle, the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer, and the St. Petersburg Orchestra with Yuri Temirkanov. At Manhattan School of Music, Bender served as vice president of external affairs, where she collaborated to launch and complete a capital campaign that raised $50 million for new facilities and scholarship funding. She also held senior development roles at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University, and previously worked in wealth management as a vice president at Bernstein Global Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch. Bender holds a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Art History and Romance Languages, with additional studies completed at the Sorbonne in Paris and Sarah Lawrence College in Florence. Melissa Ngan is president and CEO of American Composers Orchestra.
